"The Line" by Teri Hall

219 pages

Rachel’s world consists almost entirely of the Property. She lives there with her mother, who works for the elderly and reclusive Ms. Moore. The Property butts up to the Line, an invisible, impenetrable barrier that separates their country, the Unified States, from Away, a dangerous no-mans-land. Rachel’s life passes in a never-ending routine of homework and chores…until she finds a recorded message from one of the Others—a person from the other side of the Line. When she decides to help the boy from the message, she sets in motion a chain of events that shakes up her stable life and reveals secrets about her mother, Ms. Moore, and the US government.

This is a quick, interesting read, and it definitely kept me on my toes. However, I thought it was too short—I would have like to see the characters developed more, and I thought some parts were too rushed, particularly the ending. I know that it’s the first in a series, but I wanted more details about what was going on. Nevertheless, this story definitely got me hooked and I’m anxious to read the rest of the series to find out what happens.